Addiction for Sex

As per Merriam-Webster dictionary addiction can be defined as a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol etc.) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. Sex is an addiction even though not a chemical it has the effects of a habit-forming tolerance. Sex as an addiction is a slightly new concept brought to the publications and media in the 1980's and has since grown with more theories and understandings. Patrick Carnes first labeled the term sexual addiction has identified ten categories of addictive sexual disorders, which consist of a range of fantasies, urges, and behaviors. These ten categories are: fantasy sex, seductive role sex, anonymous sex, paying for sex, trading sex, voyeuristic sex, exhibitionist sex, intrusive sex, pain exchange, and exploitive sex. (Seegers 2003) Even though Freud first noted sex as a addiction by mention of consistent masturbation he never truly evaluated the condition which lied behind the action. Sociocultural attitudes toward what constitutes as "normal" sexuality also had and still has an impact on the clarification of the addiction, which has reflected in social and psychological theory and its diagnosing over time. (Giugliano 2003)

Many sex addicts are diagnosed with more than one addiction usually chemical, over or under eating, gambling, spending, working, etc. While having these other factors they also have mental disorders such as depression. Factors which can contribute to feelings of depression include low self esteem, helplessness or loss of control, inferiority, minimized emotional involvement to use sex as a means to gain power, sense of inadequacy, engaging in dangerous sexual encounters with strangers. It jeopardizes families, marriages, occupations, it can cause harm to oneself and even family when combined with multiple sexual partners. Sexual addicts often realize that there are consequences to their behavior, but they are still unable to control their compulsions without receiving appropriate treatment. (Giugliano 2003) These people depend upon others to provide them with the functions they lack so they can maintain their world and hide from painful pasts or affects that they are facing.

Not all addicts must have orgasm to have the fulfilling needed they may also desire fantasy such as pornography. Many though eventually act out their needs to reach the high they had. Three levels exist a person with the addiction is associated with. Level one is the "normal behavior" pornography, masturbation, hetero or homosexual relations, and prostitution. Level two is voyeurism, exhibitionism, indecent phone calls, transvestitism, bestiality, and indecent liberties. Level three is the most dangerous abusive and possible life threatening and many in this level are institutionalized or should be. This level includes incest, child molestation, rape, sexual abuse or vulnerable adults, and even handicapped. (Guigliano 2003) These levels are used in the assessment of individuals along with a the SAST which stands for Sexual Addiction Screening Test. It contains 25 yes or no questions to define a sex addict from a non sex addict and those who score 14 or more are operationally defined as sex addicts.

For women the addiction really has nothing to do with sex but its the intimacy received from their partners. For a woman who had a traumatic experience, or was deprived of love either growing up or in the partnership she looks for love, caresses, and acceptance from her partners. Many are looking for love and may get caught in the cycle while trying to find it. Compulsive symptoms are done to relieve the weakness of the intense drive or anxiety, which they feel because they are in such a state of emotional disturbance. Men are usually found having relationships with women without any emotional connections so they feel a sense for control having the person desire them and in turn they feeding their desire for sexual pleasure. There are studies which show how gay men find satisfaction off the internet mentally and physically. As frequency of finding sexual partners online increased could the sexual experiences at home. Many people with the addiction loss contact with their social lives and get lost in the need to hide their emotional broken minds. Many addicts are getting HIV or an STD because of their frequent partners and in turn causing a further depression because of the illness and the best way to release that feeling is by having more sex and spreading the disease unaware. (Quittner 2003) In both straight and gay men, low SIS2 was predictive of non-use of condoms; that is, the persistence of sexual arousal in potentially risky sexual interactions reduces the likelihood of using a condom. ( Bancroft 2004) So there is the increase in disease because along with the sexual addiction there is the need to heighten their experiences with the factor of danger.

Two Major theories that back the sexual addiction notion are the attachment and trauma theories. The attachment theory deals with having perceptions and experiences of vulnerability not only but determined by individual makeup. Past experiences and development such as biological, neurological, physiological, environmental, family origin, abuse, and abandonment play factors in "sexual promiscuity." Offering a temporary relief for anxiety, insecurity, and depression (higher in men) comparable to chemical drug dependency (weak parental attachment), sex addiction can stem from attachment issues from younger ages. The parental guidance, sibling, role models, and major influences which lack in a child's life can mount to greater problems depending on the attachment. Trauma theory comes from childhood sexual traumatisation often involving partial or total amnesia regarding the details of the abuse and therefore are disassociated from sensations and effects. Schwartz et al.(1995) stated that addictive substances and behaviors later become a means to cope with feelings of depersonalization, numbness, emptiness, and physical and emotional analgesia. Repetitive reenactments of the original trauma are relieved in attempts to control the out-of-control; thus trauma coding begins the addictive cycle (Schwartz et al. ; 1995) (Seegers 2003) Almost all addicts have experiences some form of abuse in their life: sexual, physical, emotional, or spiritual. Many of the sexual addicts come from traumatized childhoods and than unconsciously it control their lives effecting relationships and occupations. It is an estimated 3-6% of Americans suffer from the addiction and in which 40-50% are women. Statistics show that 81% of sex addicts were sexually abused, 72% were physically, and 97% were emotionally abused. (Gugliano 2003)

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